World in your palm: digital revolution breaks barriers

When mobile phone came to India, the cheapest model cost profit Rs. 25,000. Now, you can buy one for Rs. 1,000. Pay Rs. 5,000 for a smartphone and the world can be in your palm. India is far more digitally inclusive than it is economically.

Take the case of Sridhar, an east-Delhi-based plumber.

"My mobile phone is my shop," he says.

"Earlier, I had to stay at the shop and a shopkeeper would take 20% of my earnings just to send customers to me. Now, I don't share my income with anyone."

At the upper end of society, the information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services industry is now worth $100 billion (Rs. 500,000 crore).

A one-minute call from Delhi to Mumbai used to cost about Rs. 35 a minute. A call from India to the US cost twice as much. Now, you can now call anywhere in India for a rupee a minute a call to the US costs Rs. 4 per minute.

The digital revolution has also removed all barriers. Celebrities and decision-makers can be reached directly on Twitter.

"Social media is the most powerful instrument to empower individuals," says movie producer Pritish Nandy, who has thousands of followers on Twitter.

"It gives us the right to speech, the right to make new friends and the right to learn new things."